Mainland cities have always been built near dependable fresh water sources: large rivers, lakes, snowcapped mountains. Small islands rarely enjoy such luxuries but depend upon rainfall to replenish their wells and creeks. Like Vashon, most islands are sole-source aquifers with nothing but juicy clouds to wet their whistles.

For more than an hour, a standing-room only crowd waited patiently as the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council waded through committee reports and other business to get to the hot topic on hand: an emergency motion by Tom Bangasser about King County’s rezone of the K2 site.
But when the issue finally came up, three people — one-third of the community council board members present — voted that the measure was not an emergency. And thus it ended, with scarcely a word on the topic spoken.

Newspapers are inherently flawed mediums. They take snapshots in the moment, without the benefit of hindsight or the polish of analysis and try mightily to make sense of them. The “rough draft of history” — delivered to your home.
And yet these snapshots are invaluable because they can — especially when pieced together into a bigger whole — offer a window into our lives and our community.